SurfaceInk shows off concept Tablet PC

SurfaceInk has just given us something to talk about, a Tablet PC concept with a 12.1 inch screen. However, there’s a small problem – not many have even heard of SurfaceInk, putting them in the same boat as numerous Chinese manufacturers.

Everything is still in the prototype stage and nothing has been set in stone as yet, but what is known is that the tablet will have a 12.1 inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800. It will sport a multi-touch capacitive screen that can also accept stylus input, something that will make the device enticing to students who wish to use a tablet device. Currently, the tablet runs the standard version of the Ubuntu operating system, but there is also reports of an Android version in the works.

The motherboard currently ships with a Freescale i.MX51 Cortex A8 at 800MHz, and has 512 MB of DDR memory. It also has a 4 GB flash drive for storage, along with a Micro SD card reader. Rounding it out is a built in accelerometer, a light sensor, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g WiFi, and a mini HDMI and USB 2.0 port. The tablet also comes equipped with two 3MP cameras! both at the front and the back. The tablet looks solidly built and measures 12.76 x 8.5 x 0.52 inches, but it tips the scale at around 2.3 pounds – not exactly a light-weight, but better than many already out.

SurfaceInk has also started working on a 7 inch model which is modeled after the 12.1 inch tablet, and plans to come up with an 8.9 inch model in collaboration with Freescale. This concept model features edge-to-edge gorilla glass (awesome), the same as the iPhone 4. They claim the 8 inch tablet would come as cheap as $350 and is expected to hit the market in another eight months time if their current quest for a partner becomes a reality… so don’t get your hopes up anytime soon.